Family Friendly
Italian’s adore children. I couldn’t make it halfway down the street with my daughter without being stopped and hearing “Ciao bella” or “Bellissimo Bambini”. Everyone wanted to talk to her and even kiss her, because apparently kissing stranger’s babies is completely acceptable in Italy. She was given special treatment everywhere we went. Every bakery or restaurant we went in she was either given a cookie or piece of bread. We were also upgraded to bigger rooms in all our hotels to accommodate her. It is safe to say my little girl was spoiled beyond belief during our travels. Long story short, Italian’s make the extra effort to help families with children. If you take your kids to Italy, prepare for them to be spoiled!
Mangia Mangia!
The food! What kids don’t want to eat pizza, pasta and gelato every day? Italy is a pickyeaters paradise. Need I say more?
Piazza’s galore
One thing I really enjoyed about Italy were the array of Piazza’s. If you aren’t familiar with a piazza, also known as a plaza, it is essentially a large open area outside within the city that is blocked off to cars. Usually there is a fountain, shops and restaurants in and around the piazza. Piazza’s were great resting points during the days of non-stop walking. I could let my daughter run around in the piazza without worrying about her getting into trouble. In addition to piazza’s, we also stumbled across many gardens, playgrounds and a beautiful carousel in Florence!
Variety in Environments
Italy is a beautiful country with an abundance of different environments. Mountains, beach, big city, and countryside; you name it, Italy has it. This gives you and your children the opportunity to have a vacation that everyone will enjoy. Spend your travels exploring the diversity of the lands to get a real feel for the country.
Tip: Split up big city destinations by going to a smaller town with a less hectic itinerary in between. This will give everyone a break from the hustle and bustle of constant site-seeing and ensure no one gets worn out. I absolutely loved Cinque Terre for our getaway between big cities.
Traveling Italy solo with my little girl was a dream!
Have you traveled to Italy with your kids? I would love to hear about your adventures!
-E&A
Leave a Reply